Habitat: Light to moderately wooded country, deciduous woodland, timbered savanna and rainforest.
Geographical spread: Northern Brazil, locally on banks Amazon River, central and southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia and northeastern Paraguay.
Current population: N/A
Status: Appendix 1 of the CITES, on IUCN Red Data list.
Size: Length 100cm, wing 388-426mm and tail 433-562mm.
Weight: N/A
Average life expectancy: About 50 years (there is very little data on the length of life in the wild).
Normal diet: Mainly fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetable matter. Palm nuts are a favourite food, particularly nuts from catole palms (Syagrus commosa) and piacaba palms (Attalea funifera). Nuts obtained on the ground may be eaten there but are more frequ ently carried to a nearby tree.
Normal lifestyle: Hyacinth Macaws generally associate in flocks of 6-12 birds and within this flockform pairs or trios which fly together. When flying between roosting sites and feeding areas, they call constantly to maintain contact. During the b reeding season (dry season, July and August depending on area) flocks disperse and mating pairs stay together. These birds are noisy but during the heat of the day they rest quietly, paired birds sitting together often preening each other. Nests are in t ree hollows (often in the truncks of Mauritia palms) or in holes in cliff-faces. Access to cliff sites is more difficult, but nests in trees are vulnerable and are often chopped down to capture chicks. Generally 2 eggs are laid but from captive breeding only one in four cases was the second chick reared. Young birds fledged about 3 months after hatching.
Previous geographical spread: N/A
Reasons for decline: Has been subjected to persistent pressure for the live-bird trade and decline in numbers has reached massive proportions. Trapping has been particularly significant in bringing about local declines because it is mostly adults that are captured, thus removing part of the breeding population. In western Brazil in Mato Grosso illegal trapping is widespread, captured birds are taken across the border to Bolivia or Paraguay for export (Ridgely 1981).
Current threats: Probably live-bird trade. A pair was worth up to �14,000 in 1987 (BBC Wildlife, Oct. 1987).
File last modified Thursday, October 3, 1996